Alarm apps sit in an unusually intimate position. They know when you sleep, when you wake, how often you fail, and with a scan alarm something about your home. Very little of that needs to leave the phone, yet this category varies more than almost any other.
What “tracking” actually means
Apple's definition is specific: Data Used to Track You means data linked with third-party data for advertising, or shared with a data broker. It is narrower than “collects data”.
That means an app can collect a great deal and still declare no tracking, and it also means a declaration under that heading is meaningful. It is not a vague privacy vibe, it is a specific statement about advertising and brokers.
What each app declares
| App | Data used to track you | Account needed |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Clock | None, part of iOS | No |
| Mornio | None declared | No, none at all |
| Nuj | None declared | Payment details required |
| Alarm Scan | None declared | Not stated |
| Kiwake | None declared | Not stated |
| Wayk | None declared | Not stated |
| Sleep Cycle | Identifiers | Not stated |
| Erly | Identifiers, Usage Data | Not stated |
| SuperAlarm | Location, Identifiers, Usage Data | Not stated |
| Spin Alarm Clock | Location, Identifiers, Usage, Diagnostics | Not stated |
| Alarmy | Location, Identifiers, Usage Data | Not stated |
These are each developer's own declarations to Apple rather than independent audits, and they change between versions. Check the live listing before deciding.
Why an alarm clock wants your location
This is the question people ask when they first read these labels, and the answer is usually straightforward: advertising.
An alarm needs a time, not a place. When Location appears under tracking alongside Third-Party Advertising as a stated purpose, as it does for Alarmy, the location is serving the advertising rather than the alarm. Alarmy's listing also carries Apple's “Contains Advertising” note, which fits.
There are legitimate uses too. SuperAlarm offers a voice briefing of time and weather, which genuinely needs approximate location. The distinction is between using location for a feature and linking it to third-party data for ads, and the label tells you which is declared.
The apps that declare nothing, in context
- Mornio declares nothing under tracking and has no account, so there is no identity to link anything to. Alarms, history and registered codes stay on the device.
- Nuj declares no tracking, but necessarily handles financial info, contact info and a user ID linked to you, because it charges penalties. No tracking is not the same as no data.
- Kiwake declares no tracking, though its listing shows no published update since April 2021, which is its own kind of risk.
- Wayk declares no tracking but lists developer advertising or marketing as a purpose for usage data, which is a lighter category than third-party tracking.
How to check any app yourself
- Open the App Store listing and scroll to App Privacy.
- Read Data Used to Track You first. That is the section that matters most.
- Tap See Details for the breakdown by purpose. Watch for Third-Party Advertising.
- Check the age-rating information for “Contains Advertising”.
- After installing, look at Settings → Privacy & Security → App Privacy Report to see what it actually does.
- Re-check after major updates, and especially after a change of developer.
Does it matter?
Genuinely, that is your call, and we are not going to pretend an alarm app knowing your identifier is a scandal. But it is worth knowing what you are trading, because the trade is usually invisible: a free app funded by advertising is a real service and someone is paying for it.
If tracking bothers you, Apple's Clock costs nothing and collects nothing. If you need a mission and a follow-up check as well, that narrows the field considerably, which is covered in our private alarm apps guide.